SEDL Breaks Ground on New Facility at Mueller on August 2

After 40 years in downtown Austin, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) is breaking new ground in the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport community redevelopment site. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 4700 Mueller Blvd., on Wednesday, August 2, 2006, at 9 a.m. The event will feature brief remarks by Seton president and CEO Charles Barnett and Austin mayor pro-tem Betty Dunkerley and includes an appearance by Austin’s own Biscuit Brothers. The groundbreaking is open to the public.

SEDL’s new headquarters, which includes approximately 50,000 square feet, will be host to research and development efforts in addressing some of the nation’s most pressing education issues. Wes Hoover, SEDL president and CEO, says, “We’re excited that we have the opportunity to occupy a headquarters office that ideally meets the needs for our work in research and development, but also supports the collaborative work style of our staff and encourages engagement with our neighbors in the Mueller community.”

SEDL is joining others who plan to call Mueller home, including the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas and the Dell Pediatric Research Institute of the University of Texas. “We think there are some natural connections to be made between SEDL and these organizations,” says Hoover. “Our organization works to benefit children nationwide and our experience suggests great overlap in education and health issues, both of which are better addressed together rather than separately.”

Designed by Milton Hime and Studio 8 Architects, the building will foster collaboration through community spaces, workrooms, and offices. The building will also feature a science and technology demonstration classroom, 5,200 square feet of conference space including 8 break-out rooms, and an education research library.

Hoover says the building was also designed to support SEDL’s belief in responsible stewardship of our client and community resources. It will be built using green building principles and will receive a silver-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The LEED certification covers six categories: (1) sustainable sites, (2) water efficiency, (3) energy and atmosphere, (4) materials and resources, (5) indoor environmental quality, and (6) innovation and design process.

Benz Resource Group serves as the project manager for the new facility. DPR Construction, Inc. is under contract for the construction. Collier’s Oxford Commercial served as the real estate brokers on the land purchase.

About the Mueller Community

The 711-acre Mueller site brings together two of today’s most exciting trends—New Urbanism and Green Building. The Mueller master plan brings to life a grass-roots vision for the site of the old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. Mueller’s Town Center is the heart of the urban village. Mueller is a project of the City of Austin, Catellus Development Group, and numerous community leaders.

About SEDL

The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) is a nonprofit corporation based in Austin, Texas. SEDL is dedicated to solving significant education problems and improving teaching and learning through research, research-based resources, and professional development. For more information about SEDL, visit http://www.sedl.org/about/.